


The Zoo

by Elly_Hiddlesherloki



Category: Loki - Fandom, MCU, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Aliens, F/M, Kidnapping, Loki and Thor are bros, Mutual Pining, POV Second Person, Reader Insert, Slow Burn, Zoo, all is good in Asgard, between TDW and Ragnorak, forced romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-01 03:28:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17859395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elly_Hiddlesherloki/pseuds/Elly_Hiddlesherloki
Summary: Imagine waking up inside a room, beside you lies Loki. The two of you have barely interacted, as you are merely a commoner of Asgard and he is the fallen prince. You’ve always admired him but never approached. Suddenly a voice comes from nowhere, demanding the two of you bond and mate: More Asgardians are needed for their zoo-like exhibit.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in an AU sometime after TDW/Ragnorak. Loki and Thor are cool again, but Ragnorak didn’t really happen. Thor is king, Odin’s gone. Just weirdly placed au

Your eyes opened slowly, the room spun – blurry and out of focus. Blinking repeatedly, you sat up, trying to make sense of your surroundings.

Head throbbing and feeling at a stinging pain in your neck, you looked around.

The last thing you remembered was being home in bed on Asgard.

Slowly the room came into focus. It was lavish yet sparsely furnished. The bed large and comfortable, far grander than the simple bed you were used to back at home. You looked around, there was a curtain hanging over what appeared to be a doorway.

The bedding was starch and white, kept pristine and clean.

Another door off to the side was slightly ajar.

Standing up, you stumbled for a moment, vision waving as you struggled to remain upright. Finally giving in, you sat back down on the bed.

You looked down at your garment, a simple white shift, nearly see-through, very little left to the imagination. A flush went up your cheeks as you considered how exposed you were compared to the armor like garbs of home.

Home.

You tried to think, tried to remember what had happened.

You had been in the field? No, a recon mission? Perhaps something intervening with another realm. Thor, having accepted the throne was following in his father’s footsteps. The adviser, the young prince – your cheeks warmed for entirely different reasons as you thought of Loki.

You shook your head, you had been returning from a trip, there had been an ambush on your ship and nothing. Glancing down at your hair you saw that it had notably grown. How long had you been asleep?

Once more, you forced yourself to stand, fighting at the fog at the edge of your vision and made your way to the ajar door.

Fingers gripping the wood paneling, you pushed it open and found a bathroom. To your relief, the toilet was open, as clean and well kept as the rest of the room. You bent over and exhaled the contents of your stomach: complete liquid. Something had kept you alive by artificial means.

Wiping at the back of your mouth, you looked to the sink and splashed water on your face, trying to clear the last of the fog as your vision slowly returned to normal. You were gaunt and far paler than you had been, weight had been lost in your artificial sleep and you shivered at the thought.

You peered at your appearance, finger stroking over the pain in your neck and felt a slight bump, minuscule but the skin was inflamed. Something lay beneath the surface.

Shaking your head, pushing your hair back behind your shoulders, you made your way out and back into the bedroom. The only other available or possible exit was the curtain.

Crossing the room with a forced confidence, you reached the curtain. As your fingertips brushed the material, a pulsating shock rippled from the bump on your neck.

You stumbled back, shivering in pain and gasping as you gripped your neck.

Looking around wildly, you noticed a blank screen, what you had initially taken to be a blank expanse of wall was flickering to life.

A mass of tentacles appeared, writhing and squirming on the screen, ineligible gurgling coming from the mass.

You blinked in confusion, hand moving from your neck as you approached the image.

Slowly the noises changed, passing through countless pitches and frequencies until it suddenly reached a noise you understood.

“Ah, yes you understand now?” The voice ethereal, came from nowhere, you couldn’t see a mouth of any sort.

Slowly you realized there were two tentacle monsters on the screen, barely distinguishable from the other, only a slight variance in color.

“Perhaps it doesn’t.” A second distinct voice said.

The first, an anger in the voice, spoke again, “Acknowledge your comprehension or pain will follow.”

You squinted, mouth agape. A searing pain suddenly shot through your neck and you gasped again, doubling over. “I understand!” You cried out, straightening up slowly as it stopped.

“Good. Good.” There was an exchange between the two tentacle beasts and you watched in confused silence.

“Your ideal mate?” The second one asked.

You turned your head, bewildered. “What?” You quickly added, for fear of more pain.

“Our collection. You must bear offspring.” The first said.

“Many offspring!” The second interjected, waving some of its tentacles for emphasis.

“Yea, sorry, I can’t do that alone. And I’m not exactly-” Pain rippled through you and you cursed loudly, grabbing at your neck. “Stop that!”

“You must have offspring! The collection requires it!” The first cried, its voice rising in pitch.

“Too bad.” You snapped, wincing preemptively. No shock came.

A panel slid open, one of the walls revealing a black path to an unknown place. One of the tentacle creatures from the screen appeared, slithering out. This seemed to be yet another of its kind.

You backed away warily, the pain in your neck rising in a soft pitch, slowly but consistently. As it grew in intensity, you felt your knees giving way, conscious swaying.

A tentacle rose from the beast before you, glowing brightly. You couldn’t tell if it was the pain or the room, or perhaps the tentacle itself. Bile rose in your throat, you felt conscious ebbing. The last thing you were aware was the slimy tentacle brushing your forehead, glowing white hot and an image of the young prince crossing your mind.

“A mate has been chosen!”

Then all was black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea this is just weird. I don’t even know what I’m writing and I don’t know if I want to include smut or not, please leave comments or any suggestions you have!

You felt consciousness return and you opened your eyes, the world slowly swimming back into focus. Once again you found yourself in the strange room.

Now familiar with how this worked, you lay still, waiting for your senses to fully recover.

To your surprise though, you felt the bed shifting, a groaning coming from beside you.

Your neck snapped over and you looked to the side, trying to make out the blurry figure of another humanoid creature. You squinted.

A man?

“Blast…” The man muttered softly, cursing under his breath and rubbing at his temples. He was sitting upright.

Even through the blurriness of your vision, you could tell his torso was bare. Your eyes drifted downward, a drop of relief at seeing his lower regions were covered.

Slowly the man turned around, eyes widening as he seemed to register you. He blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes, “The missing guard.” He whispered.

You sat up, vision almost fully cleared, the edges just a little fuzzy. Your mouth fell open as you finally registered the long black hair, the piercing green eyes… “Prince Loki.” You breathed, face flushing.

Loki blinked at the reverence in your voice. His eyes flickered down to your gown and a blush of crossed his own face. Looking pointedly away, Loki coughed and cleared his throat. “You’re the missing guard, where are we?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“We recovered the rest of your crew, what was left of them. I don’t know why I went personally, but it seemed right.” Loki rubbed his forehead, eyes scrunched shut.

You crossed your arms over your chest, keenly aware of the see-through gown. Slowly you licked your lips nervously, looking away.

Loki seemed to be racking his brain, “An ambush… Thor told me not to go, unlike me to take unneeded risks…” He trailed off, clearly lost in thought.

You glanced back at him. For the first time you noticed a large purple scar, jagged and long healed on his chest. You recalled the events of the dark elves years prior and rumors of a heroic sacrifice to save the king.

Loki stood up abruptly, swaying for a moment as he looked around the room. His head turned to and fro, looking this way and that. For your part, you stayed on the bed, watching him, fearful of the pain in your neck. You could see signs of similar inflammation on his neck and feared the worst.

Suddenly the screen flickered to life. Loki spun around and faced it, glaring menacingly and fists clenched. Slowly his body relaxed in one fluid motion and he was staring at the tentacle creatures with an air of relaxed indifference.

From your position on the bed, you could see the tenseness in his shoulders, and the way his jaw was set with a fierce determination.

“You are awake!” The first creature cried.

Loki stared at them unimpressed, eyes glazed and uninterested.

The tentacles began flailing, you recognized the upset from before. “Does it not understand?” The second asked.

“Asgardian, speak.” The first addressed Loki once more.

You scrambled to your feet, pushing past Loki. “We understand.”

Loki’s eyes darkened as he glared down at you.

“Please don’t hurt us!” You added, reaching gingerly for your neck.

The tentacles changed their flailing, or more rhythmic pattern to the undulations. “Good, good.”

The second one seemed angry. “You chose a bad child-bearer!”

The first one ignored him, two of its tentacles held vertically and wiggling, you imagined it was pleased. “We have our pair!”

“Many died for the prince.” The second one responded, the anger growing.

“It means nothing, he was the desired mate. Your soldiers have done well.” The first.

Loki’s eyes glanced down at you, “Mate?” He mouthed in silent confusion.

You felt the heat rising on your face, silently wishing to be anywhere but here. Crossing your arms tighter around your chest, you shifted on your legs.

Loki’s mind was racing, he looked away from you and back to the tentacle creatures. “Felkians.” He growled.

Both tentacle creatures went rigidly stiff, falling silent. After a moment, the second said, “It recognizes us.”

“I’ve read about your species. Highly advanced, surprising given your forms.” Loki sneered, “Why bother in the affairs of Asgard now?”

The first began vibrating, multiple tentacles waving around itself, writhing into the second. “We have a pair! It has been many centuries that we sought a breeding pair for our collection. What you would call a zoo.”

Loki’s eyebrow rose.

The first continued, “Asgard’s population is low, we must save the species!”

“Asgard’s population is fine, we are prosperous people, you don’t have to interfere with our lives. Let us go and we will forget the act of war on our people. Keep us imprisoned, and you will make a great enemy.”

A screeching noise came from the second one, “Your technology is severely outdated. And your numbers are limited, you could not handle all out war with the Felkians.”

“You would be surprised.” Loki replied coolly.

“False!” The first cried, “By our calculations, a large warehouse ship is enough to transport the majority of the populace! Asgardians are too few, we must ensure your survival!”

Loki crossed his arms, “No.” He said coolly.

“He resists!” The second seemed happy about this.

Loki cried out in pain, nostrils flaring and hissing as he grasped at his neck. To your surprise, he stayed standing. “What the hel?” He snarled, trying to glance down at his neck.

“You are strong, a worthy specimen of leadership. The female has chosen a sturdy mate.” The first creature said.

Loki glanced over at you before looking back to the screen.

“Raise the intensity.” The first ordered.

“Too hide could kill him, perhaps we should intervene personally?” The second replied.

Unable to stand seeing Loki in pain, the man you had fawned over from afar, you pushed past him, “Please stop hurting him. Please, just explain what you want.”

“Was it not clear?” The first asked.

“They are a lesser species.” The second interjected.

“The prince must place offspring in the female.” The first ordered.

The pain must have stopped for Loki had moved his hand from his neck and was looking between the two tentacle creatures and then over at you. “Excuse me?”

“How is this not clear?” The second asked, “perhaps it is mocking us.”

Loki shook his head, “No, I’m just…” He trailed off. Looking down at you, he looked back up at the tentacle creatures. “You chose me, because of her?”

Mortified, you covered your face and turned away, groaning softly.

“The ideal mate must match the female. A suitable male will increase odds of impregnation, a pleased female will encourage abundance of offspring.” The first explained, clearly unsure of Loki’s confusion. “The female does not look pleased, have we chose wrong?” The tentacles writhed, “Did your retkhar choose wrong?”

“This was the male envisioned!” The second yelled back. “It was not a failure on our part.”

Loki’s hand reached out gently and touched your shoulder, his hand was cool to the touch through the sheer fabric. “Err,” He cleared his throat, “guard?”

You looked up at him, tears running down your face. “I’m so sorry my prince.” You sobbed softly, wishing the tentacle creatures would look away.

“They kidnapped me, because you’re attracted to… me?” Loki asked.

You covered your face, tears falling harder, shoulders shaking.

Gently, Loki pulled you to his chest, holding you carefully. “It’s alright, don’t worry.” He lowered his voice, “I’ll get us out of this, a prince protects his subject.”

“I dragged you into this, I didn’t mean to.” You moaned into his skin, unable to ignore how pleasant he smelled and how smooth his skin over his wiry muscles felt.

“It’s alright.” Loki whispered, stroking your back.

There was a strange noise coming from the two tentacle monsters, they seemed to be conversing in their native language.

“Distress is good!” The second interrupted.

You could feel Loki glance over at the screen.

“Look how they bond!” The second continued.

“False! Distress is bad for offspring, offspring cannot survive a distressed host.” The first cried.

“Look how it comforts the female! Their touch is reminiscent of a bond, this will lead to more.” The second insisted.

“Female. Does the male’s touch please you?” The first asked.

Loki rolled his eyes and you felt fresh tears rushing down your face.

“I am aware of that gesture.” The second interrupted, “The male is not pleased with us, a displeased male will not impregnate the female.”

“You’re the ones upsetting her!” Loki snapped.

“He defends her, this is good.” The first wiggled several of its tentacles.

“A bond is being formed. When will there be offspring?” The second asked the first.

You had the distinct feeling that the first was the more scientific of the two.

“The male must insert his gorga into the female’s-” The first began.

Loki pinched the skin between his brows, “I’m aware how this process works.” He grumbled, “You don’t have to explain it.”

The second seemed annoyed at the interruption, waving a tentacle. “It interrupts!”

“It has knowledge, all is not lost for the progression of the species.” The first waved more tentacles.

“Asgardians know how to create offspring, we just choose to do so at a slower rate, there’s more to it than just being forced into a situation.” Loki explained slowly.

“They must bond!” The second cried.

“Yes, we call it courting, and there’s a long process to it.” Loki continued.

“We are aware of this! Other species must offer precious gifts. Humans exchange valued rocks often before the procreation of their kind.” The first was quite still at this point, “The bonding ritual must begin. We will encourage bonding, then you will procreate.” It wiggled happily, “These species are far easier to breed than the glupar.”

“The glupar must be tricked, they lie about their offspring to stop the torture.” The second said.

“Torture?” Loki asked.

You felt yourself trembling, still held against his chest.

“If you do not willingly bond, we will force you, we have ways.” The screen flickered out.

Loki slowly pulled away from you, resting his hands on both your shoulders and lowering his head to be at your height. “It’s alright.” He whispered soothingly.

“It’s not!” You sniffed, “My foolish and idle infatuation has led to the crown prince of Asgard being kidnapped by those, those things.”

“I’ve had worse things happen to me.” Loki muttered, he looked away from you, around the room, “Including kidnapping.” He glanced back at you and offered a small smile.

“I’m a lowly guard, not even an Einharjar, and I’ve gotten one of the most important people in our land taken captive.”

Loki ran his hand through his sleek black hair, eyes still flickering around the room. “It’s alright, you’re a guard, pull yourself together and focus, alright?”

You closed your eyes and inhaled deeply, his scent flooding your senses, a heady aroma clouding your mind. Shaking your head, you shook out your arms and hands, trying to focus yourself. “Alright.” You whispered.

“I won’t do anything to hurt you, we need to focus on finding a way out of this situation. Asgard was alerted to the attack on your ship, we didn’t realize we were dealing with Ferkians, damn.” He trailed off, “It would be much easier if it were any other civilization. They weren’t lying when they said they were advanced but Asgard is a warrior people, the Ferkians can throw numbers at us but we have strength and resilience and no shortage of spirit.”

You swallowed hard and nodded, “Right.”

“For now…” Loki trailed off, “I suppose we should see what these bonding rituals they have in mind are.” His hand came up to touch his neck and he paused, “You have one of these as well?”

“There’s a mirror in the bathroom, you can see the lump but it’s small and…” You trailed off.

Loki nodded, glancing towards the bathroom door. “And the curtain?”

“They shocked me the last time I tried to pass through it, I don’t know what’s on the other side.”

“I’m used to pain, especially of this sort.” Loki chuckled dryly. “I suppose we might as well see what’s on the other side.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m feeling like this isn’t romantic and more of an escape thing and I want romance but I just keep torturing Loki and I don’t know what to do. Someone help, I don’t know where this story is going.

Loki pulled back the curtain and stepped through. Fearful of the pain, you sighed yet followed after him.

Stepping outside, your bare feet pressed down on lush green grass. You looked up at the sky and saw a yellow sun baring down on you. Squinting, you raised your hand to shield your eyes and tried to examine it better, yet the pain of the brightness forced you to finally look away.

Blinking away spots, you looked over and saw Loki exhibiting a similar inspection.

“That’s strange.” He murmured.

“What?” You asked, walking closer, wary of being alone.

Loki was gazing near the sun but not quite at it, likely avoiding the pain of its brightness. “The Felkian sun is purple.” He paused for a moment than exhaled softly, “There it is.”

“What?”

“There’s a force field, likely to keep our native fauna from shriveling from the UV light. Their sun works as a black light does.”

“Oh.” You looked around the area. A hundred meters or so from the small hut like building you had exited from, was a deep lake. You scanned around the area and saw that you were in an island of sorts.

Gaining confidence, you moved away from Loki, though he followed after you. Reaching the edge of the water, you looked and saw another few meters away, smooth walls leading far into the air. It was an enclosure.

“Look there.” Loki inclined his head.

You squinted your eyes, gold shimmering wires crisscrossed at the top of the wall, arching over in a dome and covering the enclosure completely. “We really are in a zoo.” You breathed, baffled.

“Don’t point, I don’t want to give them the satisfaction, but look at the top of the walls.”

You forced your eyes to look past the gold crisscrossing wires and saw on the other side… “The Felkians.” You breathed. “They’re watching us.”

“We’re an exhibit.” Loki grit his teeth, glancing back towards the hut.

“So we have a modicum of privacy in there?” You felt exposed, once more remembering how sparsely you were dressed. Crossing your arms, you looked at Loki.

After a moment, his appearance shimmered and you found him in the armor he so frequently wore. Envy gnawed at you, how covered he was and how exposed you were.

“I imagine the felkians in charge of the breeding program are able to view as they see fit, but the general populace…” Loki trailed off, glancing again at the tentacle creatures milling about the top of the enclosure.

Arms still crossed, held tightly over your chest, you grimaced. “This is humiliating.”

“Midgard has zoos.” Loki muttered, “The creatures they keep are there for conservation means usually or for education of the humans…” Trailing off, Loki grabbed your arm and began dragging you back towards the hut.

You jumped at the contact, briefly resisting before following after him. The never ending flush of your cheeks from being around him deepened at such contact.

Loki pushed past the curtain and dragged you in, looking around wildly. “Have any of them entered here before?”

You searched your memory, thinking of the first time you had awoken. Slowly, straining to recall, you pointed towards a smooth portion of the wall. “There, I think.”

“I will not be kept as a beast for them.” Loki muttered. He walked over to the wall and knelt down, his long fingers sliding along the smooth paneling, searching.

You walked over behind him, legs crossed awkwardly and arms still wrapped around your body.

Green magic swirled from Loki’s hand and the panel suddenly rose up. Loki smirked, “They think themselves advanced, but I am no fool.” He looked back at you and his face softened, “Come, we’re going home.”

“It’s an alien planet,” You whispered, moving towards him and accepting his outstretched hand, “How do you expect to leave?”

“There are hidden passages throughout the realms, connecting to the bifrost, all we need is to get a ship to one of those passages and we can work our way back to Asgard. Luckily I’m a master of those passages.”

Your heart leapt, joyous at escaping this alien planet. For a moment though, it faltered, skipping a beat painfully and thudding deep in your chest. Finally, you were here with Loki, the one man you had always admired, a chance to know him. And yet, this was no place for either of you to be, Asgard was your home, even if you would never get another chance to know Loki, at least you would be back with your people.

Loki led you down the smooth passageway, your feet scrabbling on the the ramp, searching for purchase. Loki’s boots kept him more easily upright and eventually he paused, picking you up and carrying you on his back. Your chest pressed through the sheer material against the smooth leather of his back. How you longed to rest your cheek on his shoulder and enjoy the final moments together, but there was work to be done.

Loki walked in silence, hands gripping your bare thighs as politely as he could while looking this way and that for signs of opposition or escape.

A light loomed in the distance and the two of you rounded a corner into something resembling a lab, at least in your mind it did. There was a flat metal table, something resembling a sink and all sorts of vials and beakers around the room.

The ground was flat here so Loki slowly set you down, holding your hand briefly as he waited for you to regain your balance.

Curious liquids floated and oozed in the different beakers, materials that appeared to be solid yet also liquid, or gaseous and also solid, it boggled your mind.

“Here.” Loki called, pulling your attention away from the beakers. He waved you over, hand touching a silver rectangle. With careful precision, he raised his hand and the steel-like substance began liquidizing, becoming tangible. Pressing his body into it, the substance gave way, allowing him to fully pass through.

Suddenly you were very alone. You glanced back the way you had come and then towards the undulating doorway.

Shaking your head and worrying at your lip, brows furrowed, you pressed your hand into the substance. It was cool, like breaking the surface of a lake. On you pressed, your whole body moving forward.

And then you were through the other side.

The blaring of sirens deafened you as you appeared on the other side. You gripped your ears, trying to muffle the noise but to no avail.

Then the pain began, the searing in your neck flooded through your body. You fell to your knees, a silent scream escaping your mouth. You couldn’t hear the scream, but as you looked around tears streaming from your eyes, you saw Loki hoisted a foot in the air before you.

Pain turned to horror as you saw the tentacles of a ferkian injected into his ears, mouth and nose, hoisting him in the air. Loki writhed and shook, his body twitching and trembling in unnatural movements.

Your heart leapt to your mouth, the pain all but forgotten. You rushed to his side, gripping the tentacles holding him in place and tried to tug uselessly.

Suddenly the sirens stopped and you could hear yourself screaming, begging, pleading for them to let him go.

You felt tentacles gripping your arms, sliding around you and holding you in place, pulling you from Loki. “Let him go!” You could finally hear the words you chose, “Please!”

The ferkian holding Loki suddenly withdrew its tentacles, dropping Loki to the ground. Loki lay for a moment unmoving.

The tentacles around your arms slid up your body, they felt like worms fresh from the dirt. They slithered up your arms, towards your face. At the edges of your visions, the tentacles became impossibly thin, snaking towards your eyes. You scrunched your eyelids shut, twisting to and fro and trying to stop them. The wormy texture touched your eyelids, pressing them open. You screamed in horror, a primal scream.

Loki’s eyes snapped open from the ground and he raised his hand. A burst of green magic hit the beast behind you and slammed it against the wall.

Blood trickled from Loki’s eyes, nose, and ears and he gasped for a moment as he struggled for words. “Infertile.” He choked out, slumping to the ground.

The two ferkians hesitated, looking between you and Loki. They seemed to understand the word, if not the context it had been spoken.

“What do you mean Asgardian?” The creature that had been holding Loki croaked, its translator seeming rarely used.

Loki coughed as the tentacles wrapped around his arms. He cried out in pain as the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. Loki’s head arched back, mouth agape as he writhed in pain.

“Stop!” You cried again, attempting to rush to his side but again, tentacles wrapped around your wrists, gentler this time but nonetheless holding you fast.

“Explain!” The first ferkian demanded, shaking Loki’s body erratically.

“You’ll make her infertile if you hurt her.” Loki gasped out.

“Lies!” The first replied angrily.

The second one, the one restraining you, reached another tentacle around, wrapping it around your neck. For a moment it held it there. “Pulse is elevated, females of many species are known to be weaker than the males, it’s possible.”

The first hesitated, some of its tentacles swaying and waving at you. It seemed to be inspecting you. Slowly it lowered Loki’s body, setting him gingerly on the floor.

Loki shivered, laying on his back, the leather of his armor slashed and torn, burned away in places and nasty burns on his bare skin.

You felt the tentacles loosen on your wrists and you ran to his side, kneeling down and covering him as protectively as you could.

“Look how they bond!” The second one whispered excitedly, though its translator made it sound at a conversational tone.

“We can’t handle such pain.” You whispered, tears still streaming from your eyes as you looked back at the two ferkians.

“It is distressed.” The excitement faded from the second and it held two of its tentacles upright. “Look how its eyes leak.”

“Of course I’m distressed, you hurt him, you could’ve killed him. This is blood!” You turned back to Loki and brushed his matted hair from his face, the blood trickling from his ears and wiped at it with your thumb. Whispering soothingly, you pulled your hand away and turned back to the two tentacle creatures, glaring protectively. “See? This belongs inside.” You waved your hand, the blue-red substance staining your hand.

“Burlba will be most displeased if his subjects are not at peak health.” The second one said softly, its tentacle prodding into the side of the first.

“It tried to escape! It attacked me!” Tentacles shot out of the first’s body in multiple directions, waving indignantly.

“Such is their species, they demand freedom, it was only natural, we will take tighter security precautions.” The second one replied, “Female, you will go back to your enclosure without resistance yes? We do not wish to hurt you, for fear of damage to offspring, but there are ways of restraining you that will not injure the young.”

You swallowed hard, still laying over Loki’s body. Glancing down at him, you saw his eyes had rolled back in his head and he lay unmoving. “You’ll heal him?” you whispered.

“It will be prime mating physique, rest assured. Comply.”

Fearful of what they might do to Loki if you resisted, you nodded.

The second wrapped a tentacle around you, lifting you in the air with determined delicateness. Another tentacle reached out and wrapped itself around Loki’s unconscious form, his head hanging limply as it carried the two of you towards the liquid metal. The first ferkian followed after, one of its tentacles glowing menacingly, perhaps as a reminder of what it could do if you resisted.

Eventually the tentacle monsters, you, and Loki, found yourselves in the hut once more. The second one carefully laid Loki out on the bed, he didn’t move.

“Healing salves will arrive shortly, check the cleansing room.” The second ordered.

You figured he meant the bathroom and nodded mutely, crawling onto the bed and sitting protectively beside Loki.

The first ferkian stood in front of the panel that led to the secret path.

Suddenly the screen flickered to life, the two ferkians that you recognized from your orientation with and without Loki.

“They are secure?” The first on the screen asked. Seeing Loki unmoving on the bed, its tentacles began waving in distress, “What have you done?”

The ferkian guarding the door replied, “We restrained it. It tried to escape.”

“Burlba, we have discovered they protect each other when one is injured, but we fear for the fertility of the female if it is injured.” The one who had detained you added.

The one that appeared to be called Burlba was quiet for a moment, seeming to ponder this news. “This matches our research, the females are fragile.”

You fought the urge to roll your eyes, clearly they didn’t have much experience with Asgardians.

Burlba continued, “Interesting, interesting. Look how they’ve bonded, the female covers the male with its body. This is progress. Continue testing it.”

“Daily?” The ferkian guarding the door asked, rubbing some of its tentacles together.

“No! You’ll kill him, look, he’s barely moving.” You searched for another approach, desperately trying to avoid hurting Loki further.

Burlba seemed to consider. An unspoken order passed and the ferkian that had carried the two of you reached over to touch Loki’s forehead. Slowly it slid its tentacle down to his throat. You shivered, thinking of the clammy feeling on Loki’s skin.

“Fork may have been too aggressive in restraint.”

The tentacle creature at the door shifted in its spot but didn’t answer.

“Maybe, if,” You searched for words, wracking your brain for a plan, “they say you attract more flies with honey than vinegar.”

Burlba thrashed its tentacles, “We do not want flies, we want Asgardians!”

“Being nice, what if you gave us time to, to bond. And surely when he’s recovered, perhaps there is…” Your mind felt blank, you couldn’t see any way out of this. All you knew was Loki wouldn’t survive whatever they had done to him if they did it again.

The second ferkian on the screen rubbed three of its tentacles around the top of itself, “Our plans do not allow for time.”

“Plans?” You asked, unable to stop yourself.

Burlba ignored you, “The rethkar can wait, we have waited this long to intervene, we can continue to wait.”

A guttural growl came from the second ferkian on the screen, “You and your ploobs! There is no time, the rethkar must act, Asgard is a menace.”

Loki’s eyes fluttered and you felt his hand squeeze yours. Your heart leapt to your throat but you stayed quiet, quickly looking away from him. None of the ferkians seemed to notice.

“If these two fail to bond and your rethkar act, what then?” Burlba demanded angrily.

“Fine! Attract the flies, but know that time is drawing short.”

Burlba seemed to inflate for a moment, its tentacles enlarging before shrinking back to normal. “Asgardian, you demand flies, how do we obtain them?”

“Let him heal, then, maybe you can persuade him to, to, comply?” You offered, glancing down at Loki. You bit your lip, uncertain if he had a plan of sorts and if you were making it worse.

“Figurative flies.” Burlba bounced, “Interesting, interesting. Yes, we will show it the merits of bonding, yes. Heal. Supplies are in cleansing room. Time is urgent. Heal fast.” The screen flickered out.

Fork and the other ferkian seemed to have a silent exchange. The ferkian whose name you didn’t know spoke soothingly, “Tend to the male, the sooner it recovers, the better.” Slowly it moved away, both crossing the threshold of the door and vanishing.

As they left, you heard a faint mention of increase in security.

Loki groaned, back arching and began coughing. He rolled over onto his side and vomited blood on the floor.

You leapt to your feet, rushing to the bathroom and scrambling wildly for the healing salve. Why they were having you do this instead of the ferkians, made no sense. You knew basic first aid though, and imagined the supplies would be self explanatory.

To your relief, one large jar was labeled as ‘heal’. Hoping for the straightforward method, you ran back to the room and scooped a large amount of the white cream onto your hand before spreading it on Loki’s back on the worst of the burns. His armor had vanished as he lay vomiting, his fingers digging into the side of the bed, arms struggling to hold him upright. The last of the blood and bile having been expelled, Loki slumped onto his chest and lay still.

You sat for a moment, looking from him to the jar and then back again. “Loki?” You whispered.

“’m fine.” Loki muttered, head hanging off the bed.

“Do you want to try eating some of this, whatever they did-”

Loki cut you off, “Their tentacles have electrical charges in them, they can burn you.” He coughed harshly, more blood coming out and landing in the puddle on the floor.

You thought of the tentacles forced down his throat, burning him from the inside, the tentacles in his ears, eyes, and nose. Shivering, you wrapped your around him, pulling him close to your side.

“I was a fool to think it would be that easy. I should have planned better.” Loki’s voice was hoarse.

“Things happen,” you bit your lip. Not knowing what else to do, you reached for another dab of the liquid and rubbed it onto his smooth back. You hadn’t had time to notice the pale flecks on his back, centuries of injuries and scars, as well as the one that seemed to mirror the scar on his chest, as though it had gone straight through him.

Loki’s arms trembled as he forced himself to sit up. Achingly slow, he dragged himself to the head of the bed and leaned his back against it, closing his eyes.

Uncertainty clung to you, perhaps he was kicking himself for his supposed failure. You stood and returned to the bathroom, finding a cloth and wetting it before coming back to the room. Kneeling on the bed beside you, you daubed at the dried blood on his face. Carefully you brushed your fingers through the strands of his hair, wiping out the sweat and blood. As you worked, you hummed softly, a song your grandmother and mother used to sing to you when you were young.

Loki’s eyes slowly opened and he looked down at you bemused.

“What?” You asked defensively, feeling your cheeks heating up.

“We’ve known each other less than a day, and you trusted me blindly to lead you to safety, not only that, they say they chose me because of you.” Loki shook his head, disbelief seeming to overwhelm him. Wincing at the pain, he quickly stopped, “And now you tend to me like a nursing mother.”

You slowly pulled the cloth away and scoot back on the bed. “Sorry, I’m being too forward, I should remember my place, even in captivity you are still my prince.”

Loki tilted his head, “That’s the thing, by the ferkians claims, I’m here because of you. Though if they are a threat to Asgard, perhaps it is a blessing to be so close to the enemy to know their plans than the alternative.”

You chuckled nervously, “Yes, I suppose so.”

Carefully, Loki took your hand in his and held it up, “Yet they are intent on us 'bonding’. It was by chance that you were captured, but they sent an actual battle regiment after me, they took me for a reason, yet I can’t place it, try as I might, and as much as they say it, this bonding.”

You tugged on your hand, so close to him yet feeling so far. Loki gripped your hand tighter for a moment, resisting you before slowly releasing your hand from his grasp.

Looking away you whispered, “I have long admired you from afar, my prince. If I had known that my foolishness would lead to your capture and subsequent imprisonment I would have stymied it long ago.”

Loki raised an eyebrow, “Admire?”

“It matters not.” You insisted, “You need to heal while they plan whatever their idea of encouragement is, and then their plans for Asgard… Surely Asgard’s forces are formidable to handle them in single combat?” You swallowed hard, “My knowledge of them is limited.”

Loki looked away, his eyes seeming to see a far off world. “They don’t do single combat, they don’t even usually do warfare. Their mental prowess is formidable, as well as their technology. They reproduce with their tentacles, they have ways of impregnating other species. Their young quickly kill the host and then grow rapidly until they are strong enough to kill the rest of the living unit that the host resides in. If they can get close to their foe, a ferkian can manipulate them into seeing anything they want, hence how easy it is for them to implant their offspring in other creatures. And killing one is a mess. You have to burn every tentacle or they can regrow. They literally are a mass of tentacles, knotted together.”

You swallowed hard, “They said they have plans for Asgard.”

Loki groaned, shifting his position he sat, his whole body seeming to ache. Swallowing, Loki’s eyes fluttered shut, “I heard, I can’t imagine what. It takes a lot for the ferkians to get involved in the affairs of other realms, but if we can delay them…” Loki murmured, his voice slurring as he began to doze, “perhaps we can muster our forces and repel them.”

Loki’s head slowly lolled to the side, completely losing consciousness and falling into a fitful sleep.

You stood off the bed and passed the curtain. Walking a few steps, you sat down on the grass and cried.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please and thank you for comments!
> 
> Also so there might have been repeats but like meh… you get the idea, it felt necessary

Slowly your tears subsided as you looked up towards the edge of the enclosure and saw a mass of gathered ferkians. You scowled, wiping at the tears furiously and hurried back inside the hut.

Loki stirred slightly as you entered, his eyes fluttering open. He gave you an inquisitive look but stayed silent.

For a moment you stood just inside the curtained doorway, scanning the room for something to pass the time. Loki, for his part, drifted back into a pained sleep. You could see him shivering from time to time, jolting suddenly. He curled tightly into a ball on the top of the blankets before stretching out and repeating the process.

Perhaps all you could do now to pass the time was sleep as well.

It didn’t seem right to sleep next to him, even if the two of you had woken up after being forced unconscious at the same time. Perhaps the floor…

You laid down on the floor, first flat on your back then uncomfortably on your side. For a brief moment you considered going out and laying in the grass, that would surely be softer than whatever this hard surface was made of.

Your brows furrowed together, you would not give those creatures the satisfaction of watching you sleep.

Eventually you rose from the floor and made your way to the foot of the bed. Curling up in as small a ball as you could, you fell into a fitful sleep.

-

As you slept, you were aware of wormlike tentacles touching you, jostling your body and moving you around. Feigning a continued sleep, you allowed them to move you as they pleased, you didn’t have the energy to interact with them or resist.

They pressed you against something warm, and a lovely aroma filled the room. You were soon lost in the scent, fading into more pleasant dreams.

-

You woke up, legs tangled between Loki’s and head resting on his chest. Starting abruptly, you pulled back, legs snagging in his and falling off the bed onto your back.

Loki jolted upright, wincing and grabbing at his chest in pain.

“Sorry.” You muttered, blushing and looking away. The damned creatures couldn’t do the decency of giving you more modest clothes, or Loki for that matter.

Loki nodded wearily, waving his hand dismissively. Slowly he shook his head, pressing his palm to his forehead and closed his eyes, “Why are you apologizing?”

“I think they put me next to you on the bed.” You muttered again, adjusting the loose shift and trying to  regain a sense of modesty. Loki hadn’t looked or seemed to notice and for that you were grateful, if slightly put off.

“They are desperate.” Loki chuckled.

A pang struck your heart and you fought the urge to sigh. Instead you looked away and slowly moved to your feet.

“Where were you trying to sleep?” Loki asked, his gaze slowly roving over to you.

“I figured this bed is large enough to sleep at the foot of it.” You shrugged, somewhat bitterly, but you hoped you kept the worst of it out of your voice.

“It makes no difference to me.” Loki replied.

There was that pang again, that longing in your chest. You nodded stiffly.

Loki tilted his head, his gaze softening as he looked at you. His eyes bore into yours and you felt that familiar flush rising on your cheeks.

Eventually he looked away, and you were left standing there uncomfortably, feeling so exposed for reasons beyond your see-through shift.

“So.” Loki trailed off, clearing his throat. After a moment, he readjusted himself and crawled under the blankets, resting his head against the headboard of the bed.

You envied him, how covered he was, compared to yourself standing there beside the bed. Glancing towards the bathroom, you wondered if there were towels that you could arrange into a makeshift dress or perhaps undergarments of some sort.

“Are you going to answer or just keep standing there?” Loki asked, looking at his hands resting over the blanket that covered his knees.

You tried not to think of his muscular thighs beneath the blanket. In general, you thought it best to not think of him any more than you had to. Awkwardly, you bowed stiffly and managed to choke out, “Apologies, my prince.”

Loki chuckled dryly. “A prince in captivity, meant as nothing more than a display animal. Truly fitting for a beast.” He shook his head, still smoothing his thumb over the other hand. Raising his head, he looked at the ceiling, “Still, better arrangements than I’ve had in the past.”

“Sire?” You asked, not sure where he was going with his ramblings.

“Is it common knowledge what happened with the destruction of the bifrost?”

“Not particularly, no, sir.”

Loki nodded, “It’s been so many years, I suppose that fell from public knowledge, and after Thor’s ascension to the throne and subsequent pardon of any crimes placed on me by father,” he spat the word. Looking away from his hand, he pat the bad, “I’m sorry for your discomfort at the garments they’ve chosen for you.” He looked pointedly away from you. “Feel free to sit down though, acting as though I’m you’re superior in this situation is hardly conducive to figuring out how to get out of this predicament.”

You nodded slowly, sinking into the bed and finding a layer of sheets that you wouldn’t make physical contact with him. Crawling in, you covered yourself and let out a sigh of relief, finally feeling less exposed.

“So what do the commoners say happened with the Bifrost?”

“Prince Thor…” You searched your mind, trying to think of how the story went, “was to have his coronation, but there was an attack by the jotuns.” Loki nodded, “the coronation was canceled and Thor was banished and you became king.” Again Loki nodded and you continued, “then Thor returned and the bifrost was destroyed and you were lost with it. Thor was devastated but there were rumors that he had fallen for a Midgardian. So many wondered if he had fathered a child or something that he was so upset by the bifrost, but the king did not speak of what happened to you. The queen, may she fight on in Valhalla, was morose, it was a dark time.” It had been such a brief period of time, but you had paid so close attention. The queen had felt Loki to be dead and you mourned as she had. “Then rumors started up that you were not dead, and in fact on Midgard. Thor left for a time and then you returned only to be thrown in the dungeons.”

Loki chuckled, “Yes. Thor was banished for starting a war, to Midgard and met a mortal he fell in love with and I…” He sighed, trailing off and shaking his head.

“It seemed strange, apparently you had killed mortals.”

“Under duress.” Loki muttered absently.

You shrugged, “They die so easily, such frail creatures. But the Allfather had always had a fondness for them, he liked to protect Midgard the most. Then the dark elves attacked, the queen…” You trailed off, she had been a kind and loving queen, so thoughtful to her subjects.

Loki nodded sadly, “I should have done more.”

“You were in prison, weren’t you?”

“Still.”

“Well then Thor committed treason, all active guards were called to help capture him, myself included. There was a prison breach, rumors that Thor had taken you with his mortal and left Asgard. It was all very confusing and there wasn’t a lot of information. We were still reeling from the destruction of the dark elves. But we had our orders. Thor left and Odin was furious, but, I guess I don’t know. It’s all very wrapped in mystery, he kept it quiet from everyone. I heard rumors that you had been mortally wounded aiding King Thor’s mortal and yet here you are. And then Thor returns, ever the hero, and well, I guess Thor ends up king. Shortly after, Odin dies and you’re said to have recovered and Thor appoints you adviser.” You looked away, “There was always drama with the Allfather, since Thor has taken over,” You shrugged, “The other realms are watched over, he’s happy to intervene personally even though his other advisers are said to worry about the risk of his life, it matters much more now that he is king but,” You shrugged again, “I don’t know. Prince, I mean King Thor has always done as he has pleased with little regard…” You stopped and snapped your mouth shut, looking over at Loki.

Loki burst out laughing, “Yes, I suppose he has. He has gotten better, I must say, but he prefers doing over thinking. He has wizened admirably though, you should’ve seen him in our youth.” Loki shook his head, still chuckling, “Our youth, it’s been hardly even years since he restarted a war with Jotunheim over an insult.”

“Is that what caused the destruction of the bifrost?”

“I thought of Bor’s use of it on the dark elves so many eons ago, I had been given the throne, I thought perhaps that might win me…” Loki hesitated then shrugged, “perhaps win my favor with Odin.” He sighed, looking at the ceiling and shook his head slowly.

You watched him in silence, unsure of what to say. Loki had always been the dark prince, there was no secret that Odin favored the older son, and yet, to see how it had hurt Loki. “You said you were under duress when you attacked the Midgardians?”

“When I fell from the wreckage of the bifrost…” Loki paused, glancing at you then looking ahead once more. He swallowed hard, “It was unpleasant.” He finally managed.

That seemed like an understatement.

Loki glanced back at you, “Tell me about yourself.”

You picked at your nail, looking down at yourself covered completely by the sheets. “Just a commoner, my prince, nothing much to me. I have a family, I don’t see much of them with my duties to the crown, normally I work whatever jobs need doing and when the time is called, I act as a guard. I was sent with a squadron to Vanaheim for something or another that the king ordered and when we were returning, we were intercepted and I came here. I woke up and they interrogated me and…” You stopped, trying to fight back the flush.

“Yes, you mentioned that. You said that they chose me because of you.”

You nodded, still staring at your hands, gripping the sheets and wringing them absently.

“Of all the Asgardians to pursue, they chose to take me. I know for a fact that I am no easy target, and even if I were by myself, Thor is… quite protective of me these days.” You could feel Loki’s eyes on you as he asked, “And yet, they risked countless members of their military to take me. For the express purpose, it seems, of creating a small population of Asgardians.”

You swallowed hard and nodded, “Yes.” You squeaked.

“Surely any commoner, any guard, even any nobility, would have been simpler.”

You stole a glance at Loki and saw him studying you intently. The flush on your face steadily grew.

“And I am flattered to think they might view me as a peak specimen of our race, yet that doesn’t seem to be the case. And I know for a fact that it is not. The troubles of taking Thor would perhaps be far more as that would be an outright act of war to kidnap Asgard’s king, and yet, I am still her prince, which confuses me.”

“Maybe they thought you would be…” You trailed off, wildly thinking of any reason but the truth.

“And then they say that I appeal to you.”

You looked over at him, feeling tears well in your eyes, “Are you teasing me, sire?”

Loki’s eyes widened, his mouth falling open and he quickly shook his head, “I…” He seemed lost for words. “I’m sorry.” He finally muttered.

You wiped your eyes with the back of your hand and looked away, shoulders slumped.

“You are fond of me?” Loki finally asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. His voice was soft and hesitant, completely unsure.

You nodded morosely, still refusing to look at him. “Growing up, alongside you, my visits to the palace as a child, my training over the years and seeing who you’ve grown into…” Trailing off, you hiccuped. “The palace gossip of the nobles you have courted…” You looked down at your hands again, tearing at a loose nail.

“If Thor didn’t produce an heir, it would fall to me.” Loki muttered, you stole another glance, “most were interested in positions of power, some sought my reputation,” he shrugged, “none lasted long.”

“It doesn’t matter.” You mumbled, looking glumly at the blankets, “My foolishness has led to the king’s most trusted adviser being kidnapped.”

“You truly are fond of me?” Loki asked.

You glanced over at him and saw him studying you curiously. Mutely, you nodded.

“Why?”

Sighing, you glanced away again, staring at the ceiling. “You were always so inquisitive and shy, so loving towards your mother, I related to how you always seemed to be on the edge of your friend group, the outcast, I loved catching you in the midst of one of your tricks and seeing your eyes light up and your crooked smile, and your contagious laughter. You were always in the library, or with a book and I would see how Thor would aggravate you running headfirst into whatever competition was produced while you would stay behind and create a plan. You were never as burly and brawny as him but you were no less a warrior than him. And your magic,” You sighed, trying not to think that you were telling the person, “what wonders you create with it.”

“You admire my magic?” Loki sounded surprised.

“So many act as though it’s lesser, but you have used your gifts to equal and better so many warriors who would use their brute strength and they fail time and again and it’s just so impressive. I am not terribly strong, but if I can think before I go into a battle, I can compete with my betters and I have always admired that trait in you.”

“Thank you.” Loki muttered quietly.

You looked at him, your turn to be surprised. “Why?”

“I can’t think of any who have said such things to me.”

You smiled weakly, “It doesn’t hurt that you’re the best looking man I’ve seen.”

“I feel as though you haven’t seen many men.” Loki replied wryly. “Now I’m concerned for your vision.”

“Not every girl fancies Thor and his square jaw and bulky appearance.”

Loki raised his eyebrow.

“I’ve had to look at him,” You shrugged, “I know the types Asgard has, our brutish warriors, so big and bulky. Looming brutes, not a smidge in their skulls.”

“So you would pick the runt of the litter?” Loki asked, a touch of bitterness to his voice.

“You don’t look at yourself very often, do you?”

“Often enough.” Loki slid his finger down his angled cheek.

“There is much to be desired.” You muttered, once more looking away. Surprised that you had admitted so much. “I can’t believe I’ve said all that, perhaps if I am to be killed when you fail to find me as appealing as I find you, at least I shall die having told the truth. Now feel free to laugh, I’ve told you my feelings, now you know why you’re in this predicament. Even if my death shall be slow and painful for it, it has been a pleasure to finally talk to you.”

Loki leaned forward, his fingers delicately gripping your chin and turning your head.

You looked at him in confusion for a moment, then his lips were on yours, petal soft brushing against yours. All too soon it was over and he pulled back, watching you curiously.

“I am the god of lies,” He murmured, watching you, “And you have spoken quite honestly as far as I can tell.”

Your heart flopped around in your chest, unable to find its rhythm as you stared at him dumbly. Lips tingling, you felt a goofy smile spread across your face. As your mind searched for some response, the screen flickered to life across the room.

“BONDING HAS BEGONE!” Burlba screeched, “The exchange of oral fluids has happened!”

You looked over and saw Burlba’s tentacles slapping the second ferkian. There was the distinct feeling that the second was unimpressed.

“Now mate! The two of you must mate.” Burlba demanded. The silence stretched on and Burlba seemed to reconsider its tactics, “Phase two shall commence. Rooba?”

“Shall the rethkar take their positions?” The second, Rooba, asked.

“No! Hold your orders, offspring must be ensured. Order the ploobs to begin.” Burlba returned its attention to you and Loki. “Male, you will be a god here. Your offspring shall be as countless as the stars, your name will be heralded for generations, you will want for nothing, all you must do is provide Asgardians. Any illness, pain or disease you risk facing will be healed, any fears or enemies that face you will be dealt with swiftly and without mercy. You will be lavished with every honor a living creature can be offered and when your death comes, you will be immortalized in our people’s names. Asgard will never forget you as the Ferkians will praise your name for eternity.”

Loki blinked hard, looking at the Ferkian, he turned his head uncertainly, searching for a response.

“You will be the greatest of your kind to have ever lived. You will save your species from ever going extinct, all you must do is impregnate the female.” Burlba’s tentacles waved and thrashed excitedly, “You will be lauded beyond measure.”

You watched Loki uncertainly, wondering what the ferkian meant by Asgard’s extinction. All races have a twilight, just as they had a dawn, perhaps the tentacle creatures would artificially prevent anything from ever wiping out Asgard.

“You know the mad titan?” Loki whispered.

“An insect, that being is nothing compared to our might.” Rooba responded.

Loki swallowed hard, “Perhaps…”

You thought of your home, of Asgard, of the people on there, then you thought of Loki, of how you had loved him since you met him.

“What of my brother?” Loki asked.

“It frets! Phase two, we must force phase two!” Burlba cried and the screen cut out.

Loki looked at you, a strange look on his face, a mixture of hope, longing, sadness… you couldn’t place all the expressions.

Finally you broke the silence, “What’s phase two, though?”

The expression faded from Loki’s face and he furrowed his brow, “I don’t know.”

As if by answer, a panel slid open and two trays of food appeared.

“Err, dinner?” You asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also my a key has been acting up, and other keys in general so like just ignore the typos, I watch for them if I can get em but it's very hard when you press a key and nothing happens and then the typo watcher doesn't get em


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who don’t want to read such things, I will do a short summary of what happened at the beginning of next chapter! There is a lot of nudity and then sexual content. Feel free to skip if that’s not your thing!

The two of you ate in silence, occasionally breaking into a short conversation functioning mostly as small talk.

Taking a drink of your water, you smiled at the flavor, there was a hint of something fruity to it. To your surprise though, when you finished the glass, it instantly refilled. Smiling further, you drank again.

“This water is,” Loki examined it, drinking his glass a second time and watching it refill, “strangely good.”

“It is.” You agreed. As you moved to set it down, it struck you how thirsty you were. Once again you took another drink, for a moment the thirst was alleviated but shortly thereafter it returned.

Loki’s brow furrowed as he felt the same thirst pangs, taking another drink. Finally, with great force of will, he set it down. You could see his thoughts racing as he stared at it longingly.

You forced yourself to copy him. The thirst passed after a few moments and yet you found yourself longing for the refreshingly cool water. You licked your lips.

There was a noise from the screen and the two of you turned to look at it, expecting the tentacle creatures. Instead, there was a simple message. ‘A bathing station has been set up outside. You must bond or there will be pain.’

Loki scowled, “I suppose whatever this mysterious phase two is has finally started.” His sentence was cut off with an abrupt hiss as he grasped at his neck.

A similar pain ran through you and you felt tears stinging at your eyes. It wasn’t debilitating as it had been in the past but it certainly did its job of motivating you.

Loki grabbed your arm and guided you outside the hut, past the curtain and out into the enclosure outside.

A two person bath had been assembled a short distance away as well as a shower like faucet pouring down on it.

For a moment you hesitated, staring at it uncertainly, before another pang of pain coursed through you. Loki dragged you to the tub and assisted you in before crawling in after you.

The water was a comfortable temperature, pouring down on you. There was an assortment of soaps and oils, reminiscent of Asgard, and you smiled fondly at the memory. Loki scrambled in after you, moving as far away as he respectfully could.

If you both stayed standing, you could be in the tub without touching the other.

“Might as well,” Loki muttered, picking up the soap and working it into a lather.

You frowned thoughtfully, grabbing another soap at random and copying him. It seemed like the ferkians wanted you to bathe each other, but given that the pain had stopped, this would suffice.

Keeping your measly shift on, you washed the soap over yourself as best as possible. Loki had his back to you, also keeping his meager garments on. You found it difficult not to glance over at him from time to time, watching his thick black hair, now soaked through, matted to his back. The suds running down his smooth skin and the ripple of muscle as he moved sent a giddy smile across your face.

With your back to Loki, you allowed yourself to lift up the shift and clean your body as best as you could. It would have been more ideal to take the damned thing off, but the protective layer of cloth comforted you and made you feel somewhat respectable around the prince.

“I’m done.” Loki muttered, stepping out of the tub and ringing his hair dry.

You scrambled to finish, lowering the shift back over you and sighing at the soggy mess it had become. “Yes, me too.”

Loki offered you his hand and you gratefully took it, stepping out of the tub and back onto the soft grass.

As you moved near Loki, a waft of his scent flooded your nose and you felt your eyes widen. You had already been fond of how he smelled, but this… this was intoxicating. Your legs shifted subconsciously and you cleared your throat, trying to push the thought from you.

Loki froze, his face an unreadable mask.

For your part, you could feel the ferkians at the edge of the enclosure watching you. The shift, already quite see-through, was all but sheer now that it was soaked. Wanting to be away from their prying vision, you brushed past Loki and made your way towards the hut.

Loki’s strong hand reached out and gripped your shoulder, stopping you. His eyes were dark and his face still unreadable but he was studying you so closely, you felt like you were under a microscope.

Voice strained, Loki asked, “Do you smell that?”

All you could smell was Loki’s intoxicating scent: leather bound books, parchment, wood-smoke and a touch of cinnamon. “No.” You stammered softly.

Stiffly, Loki leaned forward, his nose brushing the soft bit of your exposed neck. He inhaled deeply and his eyes fluttered shut. His lips brushed against your skin as his face all but nuzzled into your neck.

You swallowed hard, legs starting to tremble as you struggled to stay focused. “L-Loki?” You gasped softly.

Senses abruptly returning, Loki pulled away from you. Rubbing his eyes, he shook his head, “Sorry.”

When he pulled his hands from his eyes, there was a glazed look to his eyes. He blinked rapidly and it seemed to fade but he still seemed distracted.

“Let’s get back inside.” You mumbled, reaching for his hand then stopping shy of it, clenching your own hand into a fist and beckoning him instead.

Loki nodded, following after you.

Back inside the hut, each of you sat down as far apart on the bed as possible, leaving a large gap in the middle for privacy of the other.

Both of you lay in silence, trying to understand… well anything.

After a while, your thoughts felt muddled. Just so muddled, you shook your head lazily, feeling beads of sweat building on your forehead.

The damp gown clung to you, it was so warm. The room was stifling hot, your hair felt long and thick and your skull on fire. It was like the saunas of Asgard, the room sweltering. Your vision swirled before you, dark spots dancing around. Sweat pooled on your chest, your upper lip, you tried to move but you were too. Damn. Warm.

“Darling?” You heard Loki’s voice from far off. Suddenly his cool hand was touching your forehead, “you’re burning up.”

You blinked, sighing softly at his touch. Loki’s hand slid down your face, along your collar bones and upper ribs and touched the shift.

“It’s the dress.” Loki muttered.

“What?” You slurred, so warm. Just so warm.

“Take it off.”

You jolted upright. Your skin felt on fire but you were certain you had heard correctly. “What?”

Loki crossed his arms, legs crossed as well as he sat facing you. “The dress has heaters in it to keep you warm. Something is wrong, it’s overheating.”

You gripped the edge of the dress and tried to shake it, sending cool bursts of air to your fiery skin. “Oh.” You blinked, still dazed, the material burning your skin.

“I won’t look, the water must have broken its censors.” Loki laid down again, turning his back to you and gripping the pillow tightly, it was bunched up under his head.

Your face flushed for other reasons but the thought of the stifling garment still heating your skin finally swayed you. Standing up, you peeled it off and tossed it to the side. Immediately you could think again, your skin rapidly cooling and you let out and involuntary sigh.

Loki chuckled, his back still to you. “Better?” He asked.

“I thought I was going to die.” You muttered, wiping the last of your sweat from your face. Looking down at the heated shift, you scowled distastefully. Abruptly, you remembered that you were completely naked now. You felt your body heating up for entirely different reasons. Crossing your legs as best you could, you reached out to cover your breasts. A soft jolt came from your neck. “Damn.”

“What?” Loki asked, his head moved for a second before he seemed to remember his promise not to look.

“If…” You struggled for words. “If I try and cover myself they shock me.”

“Fantastic.” Loki muttered.

You sat down on the bed, reaching for the sheets. To your surprise though, they were gone. It was only the mattress itself, made of some strange material to keep it hygienic. “They took the blankets.” You whispered in horror.

Loki turned over to look and his eyes widened when he saw you. Quickly clearing his throat, he turned away and glanced at the foot of the bed. The blankets were indeed missing.

Sitting down on the bed, you longed to curl up in a ball, but the fear of the shock kept you from moving too much. Once more, thirst struck you and you reached for the self refilling glass and took a long drink. It was so fruity and refreshing.

It was hard to tell the night and day cycle, time passed so strangely, but as you lay there on the bed, you felt yourself drifting off. Loki’s slow, deep, even breaths eased you into a fitful sleep and you were soon lost to a world of dreams.

-

The next two days passed similarly. You and Loki would lay on the bed, back to back and as far away as possible, eating when hungry and continuously drinking the addictive water. As soon as you felt there was a flavor, perhaps citrus, it seemed to change and you couldn’t quite pinpoint it – no matter how you tried.

Sleeping was unbecoming of Loki, you could hear him pacing on his side of the bed, angrily wearing a rut into the floor. Back and forth he walked, hours and hours, and so you’d doze, lulled to sleep by the sound of his footsteps. It boggled your mind how softly he walked, feed padding on the hard floor but still the brush of fabric when his fingers would slide along the bed, the soft exhale as he turned and began his pacing anew, and occasionally stopping and staring. There were times when he seemed to stand there for hours, though you didn’t turn for fear of exposing yourself.

Occasionally the two of you would talk. You told him about your life, things that interested you, serving the throne. For his part, he told you about his family, his memories of youth, the interesting and funny stories of the court, his time as adviser. There was little talk of Odin, an occasional fond mention of Frigga and a sad comment of Thor here and there. Another longing picked at your brain, memories of home. Try as you might, for as close as you were to Loki physically, he still seemed so far away. Perhaps if you could face him, talk to him again and search his eyes for what he meant it would close that gap. But you were shy.

Your cheeks burned.

-

You woke abruptly, sitting up and to your surprise you were on your back. Your thighs ached, breasts swollen, you could feel your pulse throbbing in your sex. Glancing to your side, you saw Loki on his chest, still fast asleep.

Perhaps, if you were quiet, you could ease this sudden desire…

Your eyes stayed fixated on Loki, watching the outline of his body, the way his hair lay on his back, his muscular arms vanishing under the pillows. You scanned the outline of his back, the way the muscles came together and stretched the length of his back, the slender scars, and the large one that you knew was from his time on Svartalfheim.

Sighing, you spread your lips, inserting a single finger and sighing again. It had been so long, your clit ached, screaming for attention. Your middle finger slid over it, barely brushing it and you let out a sharp gasp, body shivering. Slowly you began to move your finger, working your inner walls. Rubbing your clit a little harder, you failed to stop the soft whimper.

Loki jolted upright, looking over at you. His eyes widened when he saw your hand. You quickly removed your hand from yourself, swallowing hard and trying to think of an apology. It was made all the more difficult staring at Loki’s chest, so strong, so smooth.

Loki’s head snapped away from you as he looked towards the wall.

You looked away as well, covering your face and cursing silently, wishing you could cover yourself. Still you could feel that desire, your meager touches had done so little for the aching in your abdomen. Your nipples were pert and hard, longing to be touched, to be teased, and the faintest of breezes had them livewire sensitive.

Loki cursed softly and you looked over at him. The cloth covering over his groin was bulging admirably and an unbidden moan fell from your throat. Jamming your fist into your mouth, you stifled the sound and forced yourself to roll over and look away from him.

A string of curses came from Loki, following after him as he made his way to the bathroom. The door slammed shut and there was silence.

A moment later, you heard a sharp cry of pain and sat up. “Loki?” You called uncertainly.

Loki stormed out of the bathroom, chest heaving and hair hanging around him in wild curtains. His face was flushed and the cloth giving him a sense of decency looked painfully tight. “They.” He spat, jerking his chin at the blank monitor. “Won’t let me.” Loki’s chin jut out, before clenching his jaw and leaning against the wall for support. Waving vaguely at himself, he turned from you, his taut muscles stretching and flexing as he looked away from you.

Your legs were still stretched, slightly spread from having rolled over in surprise to see what his distress was about. You could feel your swollen cunt and were intimately aware of the fluids leaking from your core.

“Oh.” You whispered softly.

Loki leaned against the wall, groaning softly. “Like a beast in heat.” He moaned. “I should have realized, that fruit in the drink.”

You glanced to the drink on the night stand.

“I was so thirsty, it didn’t occur to me.” Loki sighed.

With his back still to you, you could see the outline of his ass through the material; your mouth watered.

“It’s an aphrodisiac.” You whispered in horror, gazing down at your flushed body. “This is phase two.”

Loki nodded, face pressed into his arm and leaning against the wall, his hips a safe distance back. “I don’t want to give them the satisfaction.”

You nodded slowly.

For a time both of you were quiet, Loki shoved his fist in his mouth, trying to drown out his whimpers.

“It’s alright if… if you don’t feel for me as I do you.” You finally whispered.

Loki spun around, eyes wide. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

You shrugged, “I know I’m the only available female on the planet, or any nearby planets.”

Loki walked stiffly over to you, wincing as he sat down on the bed. “You’re beautiful, truly.” He implored.

You hung your head, “You don’t have to say that. I’m nothing to you after all.”

“I keep waiting for them to say you preferred Thor and it was merely more convenient that they take me. The ridiculousness of this ordeal, they’re trying to breed Asgardians.” Loki coughed, a small chuckle. “I just…” He glanced away before looking at you, searching your face. “I don’t want to lay with you because I’m being forced to, or merely to ease this… discomfort.” Loki clenched his fist, he seemed to be having a difficult time keeping his eyes on your face and not roving over your body. “I feel as though any choice in the matter has been taken away and it infuriates me.”

You felt yourself smiling weakly at him.

“I’ve never been one for just sleeping with a random woman and then never speaking with her again, I’m aware that is the style of some men, but a woman’s intelligence, what sparks her mind and drives her, that has always been as important for me.” Loki swallowed hard, “To be reduced to a dog in heat.” He clenched his jaw again, gritting his teeth.

More than ever, how you longed for him. You could see every ounce of willpower being used to fight himself back. Swallowing hard, you nodded, “Surely it will go away on its own then?” Your eyes inadvertently flickered down to his bulge, 'massive’, you thought, breathing softly at the same time.

“Only if I stop drinking that water and,” Loki swallowed hard, beads of sweat gathering on his forehead.

“It makes us thirsty.”

He nodded, closing his eyes before collapsing wearily onto the bed. For a moment he moaned softly, the weight of his body pressing down on his bulge.

You watched his hips move ever so slightly, rubbing against the surface of the bed like some libidinous youth. Then he jolted, jerking upright and gripping at his neck in pain. Cursing again softly, he turned over and flopped onto his back. Still his chest heaved, rising and falling as he closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing.

“Err… How long can it last?” You tried to keep your eyes on his face, or at least torso, but your gaze continued to wander. Licking at your lips, you thought of the aching in your own thighs.

“I don’t know.” Loki groaned, finally he sat up and took another drink of the water. For a moment his eyes fluttered in relief before you could see a visible shiver run down his spine.

“Perhaps…” You bit your lip, crawling across the bed.

Loki’s eyes opened as he felt the bed shift beneath your weight. He watched you warily.

“There are other ways.” You mumbled innocently, gripping his hips and working the material down his legs.

Loki’s cock was massive, stiff, and ramrod straight. The large vein in it pulsed angrily and you could practically feel the heat radiating off of it once you had relieved it of its tight confines.

Leaning forward, holding back your hair, you breathed on it softly, blowing air to cool the massive organ.

Loki moaned loudly, jerking his hips and nearly hitting you with his cock. “Please.” He whimpered.

Carefully you gripped the base of the shaft, fingers stroking at his balls and pressed a delicate and chaste kiss to the tip. Precum sputtered out, he was already so dangerously close to release, the pent up orgasm so ready.

Again Loki whimpered, “Just do something, by the nine, woman, just.” He cut of with a sharp gasp as you lowered your mouth onto his cock.

You could barely breathe around its girth, but your fingers kept rubbing and stroking the base as you began bobbing your head up and down. No pain struck your neck and Loki was lost in a whimpering moaning mess. He gripped the blankets with his hands, completely coming undone at your ministrations. The aphrodisiac had made him so sensitive.

Relaxing your throat, you took him as fully as you could, swirling and sucking, hollowing out your cheeks and bobbing your head. You slipped a finger into your own folds, imagining yourself riding Loki as you stroked at your core. Loki lasted hardly any time, the aphrodisiac had been working at him longer than you realized.

Crying out, Loki whispered your name, panting it over and over as his cock twitched and spilled into your mouth. How you longed to feel his fluids coat your core, spilling his seed inside you until you could hold no more. You rubbed vigorously at your clit, moaning into his cock and allowing the vibrations to spur on his orgasm.

Finally spent, Loki went limp, his cock going flaccid in your mouth. You pulled away and continued working at yourself, trying to build up your orgasm so you could find relief as well.

Loki beckoned to you weakly and you crawled up the bed. He held out his fingers and you sank your soaking pussy onto them. The effects of the aphrodisiac had made Loki far weaker than any combat practice ever had and he could barely twist and stroke his fingers on your cunt but still you rode his fingers, inserting your own and guiding his hand where you needed it most.

A knot built in your abdomen, impossibly, tight. Tighter and tighter it wound, abdomen feeling like it would burst and then you came. Stars danced across your vision as you screamed, clamping your inner walls tight on Loki’s long slender fingers. You tossed your head back, still rocking your hips up and down on his hand as you rode out the last of your orgasm. Then you collapsed onto the bed beside him.

Loki looked at you with heavily lidded eyes, a lazy smile on his face.

“There are ways around their rules.” You murmured, reaching out and stroking his face.

Loki nodded, head still on the pillow. “Perhaps.”

“Maybe…” You trailed off, “You would be a king here.”

“I would.” Loki agreed, eyes fluttering, his long eyelashes resting on his cheeks.

You stroked his cheekbones, feeling the sharpness of the bone under his soft smooth skin. Your thumb slid along them, just feeling his muscles and bone structure. You moved your hand down his face, along his jaw, smoothing over his lips. They parted delicately as he licked your thumb, tasting the salt of your sweat and his combined.

Another shiver went through you and you pulled your hand away, moving down his neck, pausing to feel his pulse still rapid and wild beneath your touch. Down your hand moved, resting on his chest, his pectorals. Loki moved his hand up lazily to cover yours, his fingers stroking along the skin of your hand as he held you in place.

“Whatever happens, I’d like to stay with you.” Loki murmured.

You smiled, “I’ll follow you anywhere, my king.”

**Author's Note:**

> Back to writing, this felt good. I am rusty, hope you guys enjoy, please leave feedback!


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